Young women under the age of 35 have colonized the third sector in Ann
Arbor. Now, more than ever, these professionals are heading into
non-profits, and thriving there – making a difference in fields they
love. I spoke to a few to find out the why and how of non-profit
leadership, and how best to get on board. Biggest revelation? That
non-profits afford opportunities to succeed – without clawing your way
to the top.
"One of the great things about nonprofits is that
there is no glass ceiling for leadership because it is a field already
dominated by women," says Vanessa Mayesky, who manages the
Literacy
Coalition of Washtenaw County. "Perhaps that's one of the reasons
why the pay rates aren't as good as in the corporate world. But in terms
of opportunity I've never seen a woman not valued as much or not make
as much as her male counterparts."
Although today she leads one of the most important and effective
non-profits in the region, Mayesky didn't start out as a non-profit
maven. In fact, her first "real" experience with local non-profit work
started while she was studying English at the University of Michigan.
One of her classes required students to engage in collaborative theater
workshops with incarcerated or "high risk" youths and adults. Mayesky,
who had grown up in a well-off, mostly white, and very insular Detroit
suburb, found it to be an eye-opening experience. "Suddenly I was
meeting and working with people who were thinking outside of their
experience," she explains. "It was like a whole new layer of thinking."
Always devoted to the business of reading and writing, Mayesky was
spurred to think more deeply about how people use words to build
community and how she could apply what she knew to help. In November of
2007, after stints volunteering for the Ann Arbor YMCA and other groups,
including the Ann Arbor Art Center, Mayesky, who loves kids and art,
went to work for the Washtenaw Literacy under the
Americorps
Vista program. Although it was certainly in her field of interest,
Mayesky was surprised at the extent adult literacy services were needed
in Washtenaw County.
"My experience had been that the person
serving you coffee here has a better degree than you do. But I went in
anyway and learned that there were 27,000 people in the county who could
use their services," she says. "I was amazed – and I recognized that to
achieve 100 percent literacy, community must be 100 percent engaged in
the issue."
t follows that Mayesky is a big proponent of volunteerism and the
non-career track afforded by non-profits – she's experienced first hand
how necessary these are for change. Any one seeking leadership
experience can get their start in the non-profit sector, cutting their
teeth while sharing their expertise and strengthening the community, she
points out. And locating opportunities has become easier than it ever
was with a robust Internet and search tools like "211" - a
telephone-accessible database of social services and volunteer
opportunities maintained by the United Way.
And as non-profits
become more visible, they become more powerful. Communities are
respecting non-profit workers more than ever and realizing that what
they are doing can help galvanize real change, says Mayesky.
The non-profit lifestyleNancy
Shore, director of Ann Arbor's
getDowntown, had a volunteer
mindset from the beginning. Throughout college and beyond, Shore worked
and volunteered in nonprofits. Of particular interest to her were
organizations that helped those afflicted by economic injustice, or
those who had slipped through the cracks of the system. Originally from
the suburbs of Washington, D.C., Shore came to Ann Arbor with her
husband (who also works in non-profits) in 2002. They liked the sound of
Ann Arbor – its schools, its cultural scene, and its bevy of
non-profits.
Shore graduated from the University of Michigan
School of Social Work in 2004, having continued to volunteer throughout
her education. (She also worked at Zingerman's.) While in school, Shore
developed a keen interest in how communities can be a source of change.
Even before she had moved here, Shore had witnessed that much of the
strength and vibrancy that drew her to Ann Arbor was to be found in its
downtown offerings. Ann Arbor's downtown is one of the attributes that
helps keep the community strong, she explains.
While doing volunteer work in Washington, D.C., at a women's shelter,
Shore had been a frequenter of the local mass transit system, where she
experienced first hand how important the efficient movement of people is
to a successful, dynamic urban area. Indeed, she had already been on
the Board of the Ann Arbor Transit Authority (AATA) when she was offered
the directorial position at getDowntown. It seemed a natural fit.
Unlike
many in their early 30s, money was never very important to Shore, who
had no hesitations about going to work for a non-profit. After all, she
and her husband had been dedicated to volunteer service for most of
their marriage. "My husband and I found that we can live a fulfilling
life without having lots of money," she says. "What's really important
to me is being with my family and friends and helping people out. It's
definitely doable, and we have lots of friends in the nonprofit sector
that make it work."
Shore believes that a good entry into non-profit work is to stay
involved in the community; follow what's going on in city government.
"Being invested in what's happening helps you see where the issues and
challenges are," she says.
Women-dominated
industry
While many agree that there are females galore in non-profit leadership
positions, everyone agrees there could always be more. "I don't think
there are enough women on non-profit boards – from what I've seen," says
Shore. "I definitely think there could be more young women. That's
challenging in terms of wanting to start a family, and being busy." But
Shore has proven that just about anything is possible: She's expecting a
baby in September of 2010. It seems that for some people, and perhaps
all of us, it is doable.
Amy Milligan agrees. As development
director for
Ann
Arbor's Neutral Zone, she frequently sees long hours. "If I worked
for a for-profit, I would probably make a full third more than what I
make in non-profit," she says. "And that's a choice I made: it makes the
most sense to be working here. Every day I come home after work and I
feel great about what I did all day. I feel like it mattered, and that
the community appreciates having this amazing resource. I'm also happy
because I know Neutral Zone will be here when my kids are teens."
Milligan raises funds for Ann Arbor's Neutral Zone, a non-profit
organization that strives to create an opportunity for young people to
develop leadership skills and a voice, and to create their own community
through art, music, writing, education, and social justice. "You can
volunteer for organizations when they have great missions and are doing
great work -- but if they don't have the funds they need, they can't do
anything. Fundraising is something I fell into as a way to keep these
missions going."
She has had time to find out where she can
offer the most value. She has worked with the Ann Arbor Art Center, the
Ann Arbor Summer Festival, the Humane Society of Huron Valley, and other
non-profits. "Creating community and strengthening the community that I
live in have always been very important to me," Milligan says. And now
with three small children in tow, she certainly has a stake in building
the community, which she came to originally for its open and accepting
cultural atmosphere.
Milligan agrees that Ann Arbor non-profit leadership roles are rife with
women. She thinks it could be a function of lower pay. Women who work
in non-profits, she points out, are often the second breadwinner in
their family. "You see a lot of women who are stay-at-home moms who are
returning to the workforce," she explains. Boards, she notes, are still
majority male.
Whatever the composition, she would like to see
more of everyone direct their energies into the non-profit sector: men,
women, and particularly young people. She points out that while young
people try to give money and time, they tend to be best about responding
to things that come to their home, like Sierra Club envelopes, but are
poor at supporting their local non-profits.
Yet Milligan also
thinks that the terrain for recruiting to non-profits is becoming
smoother with intern development programs like those offered by the
University of Michigan and the Ross School of Business, which help fit
students and graduates into complementary non-profits. "For the first
time, young people are graduating with non-profit training," she says.
A changing perceptionWhen her interviewer at
826Michigan
asked whether she had any non-profit experience, Amy Sumerton responded
with a resounding, "No." It was 2005, and the Ann Arbor 826 was still
in its formative stage. While she liked the way the organization looked,
Sumerton recognized that starting and growing a non-profit represented a
different world from the one she had known so far.
Sumerton had
earned her English degree at Michigan State University and had spent the
intervening years circling in on her love of publishing. She had waited
tables, worked as a nanny, copy-edited, landscaped, worked at a vanity
press, and even edited a literary journal. When she was offered the
position as Program Director for 826, she found it both perfect and
alien.
"I was excited about the publishing aspect of what we do,"
Sumerton says, referring to 826's periodic publication of student work.
"But it has been so much more. Since we started, this job has totally
changed my life." With two staff members, hundreds of volunteers helping
thousands of students, 826Michigan posed a new set of challenges, and
Sumerton had "an enormous learning curve."
"I learned to be mindful
about the education system – how it can help and harm students. I also
came to really understand what school closings and large classrooms mean
to students," she explained.
Like many non-profits, 826Michigan's mission and purpose have shifted
slightly since its inception in 2005. Sumerton points out that initially
it existed to be a creative space for kids, for self-expression and fun
with regard to creative writing. Yet she says that the more they
started working with schools, the more they had to add and tailor
programs and offerings to what was needed – tutoring, more basic writing
instruction. And it has succeeded in helping the community's children
thrive: Sumerton frequently hears "I wish there had been an 826 when I
was a kid." She even says it herself.
"Three years ago, we didn't
have volunteers to help us," says Sumerton. "We were struggling to pay
the rent. Now we have so many volunteers it's hard to keep up, and we've
stopped having to focus on survival, and can now put even more focus on
our mission."
Sumerton believes that involvement breeds involvement. She also cites
President Obama's vocal support of volunteering as one of the reasons
volunteerism has become more popular lately. "When I was in college,
there was very little emphasis on volunteering – there was one program
nearby and it was literally walking dogs – so we did it." Now, she
points out, professors are requiring students to volunteer for their
classes. These days the climate is different - Sumerton frequently gets
emails from college women or recent graduates with career questions.
They want to know how she got the job, and whether there are positions
available.
"Today, it's perceived as really cool to work in
non-profit leadership positions --even though you aren't making lots of
money, you're giving back to the community. There has been a real shift
in perspectives lately: Success is not so much of a ladder anymore."
No
clawing to the top? No glass ceilings? Equal opportunity? Supportive
work environment? Helping others? Doesn't sound so bad…
To find non-profits in Washtenaw County (they are legion), limber up
your Google hand, pick your area, ask a friend, check out the resources
organized at by the
New
Center, and stay abreast of local events.
According to
Shore, with the number of non-profits around, those starting out should
pick an area of interest and focus on that. "It's so easy to spread
yourself thin, and you can get overwhelmed. It would most benefit you
and the non-profit if you dedicate your energies to one area."
Leia Menlove is an Ann Arbor-based writer.
She is also a frequent contributor to Concentrate.
Her previous story was Pure
Fantasy In Ypsilanti. No glass
ceilings were broken in pursuit of this story.
This story first ran in Concentrate.
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